The linebacker had to leave the Nov. 27 game just before halftime after twisting his left knee and suffering a bone bruise.

"I got an X-ray, took a shower and then came to the sideline," he recalled. "I had to grit my teeth and watch the rest of the storm from there."

For 10 games, NU's rush defense was respectable, ranking sixth in the Big Ten. Then came Illinois at Wrigley Field and Mikel Leshoure's 330 yards on 33 carries. Then Wisconsin's Montee Ball and James White combined for 312 rushing yards at Camp Randall Stadium.

"That was definitely a tremendous letdown — and not once, but back to back," McNaul said. "We tend to lean on our character after we have a letdown. There was a lack of focus on our defense and, being honest, guys were trying to do too much."

McNaul couldn't do a thing in that second half but now he's fine.

"I'm flying around," he said after Tuesday's practice, the third of eight in Evanston to prepare for the Jan. 1 TicketCity Bowl against Texas Tech. "Or at least I think I am."

It's not sexy, but McNaul said NU's defenders must get back to training-camp basics, namely retaining their gap responsibilities. And the entire defense needs to tackle better.

"We need to get back to how we played against Iowa and before," NU coach Pat Fitzgerald said. "We're gaining on that."

Son is shining: Linebacker Quentin Davie had the best reason to miss practice: He flew back to his hometown of St. Louis to be with his fiancée and high school sweetheart, Alexandra Richardson, who gave birth to a baby boy early Tuesday morning. He is being informally called "Q2."

"I'm excited for him," Fitzgerald said. "It has been weighing heavily on him and it has been a tough year because of the unknown. He has handled it very, very well."

Extra points: NU players and coaches watched Monday's Bulls game from a United Center suite. They will catch Sunday's Kings-Blackhawks game … Northwestern is determined to sell out its 6,000- ticket allotment to the TicketCity Bowl. Fitzgerald planned to take part in a video chat with alumni groups in Texas to drum up support. … Fitzgerald said that having his name on the Big Ten's annual linebacker award with Dick Butkus is "pretty humbling. … I grew up wanting to win the Butkus award and now to be side by side with a player and person like that is an honor. Maybe one of the three boys (sons Jack, Ryan and Brendan) can compete for that someday. … We'll see."